On meeting capital requirements with a chance-constrained optimization model.

This paper deals with a capital to risk asset ratio chance-constrained optimization model in the presence of loans, treasury bill, fixed assets and non-interest earning assets. To model the dynamics of loans, we introduce a modified CreditMetrics approach. This leads to development of a deterministic convex counterpart of capital to risk asset ratio chance constraint.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator down-regulation by HIV-1 depends on type I interferon and contributes to T-cell hyperactivation.

Background: Nonspecific T-cell hyperactivation is the main driving force for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 disease progression, but the reasons why the excess immune response is not properly shut off are poorly defined.

Methods: Eighty-five HIV-1-infected individuals were enrolled to characterize B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) expression and function. Infection and blockade assays were used to dissect the factors that influenced BTLA signaling in vitro.

[BTLA Characterization and its association with disease progression in patients with chronic HIV-1 infection.].

Aim: To characterize the B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA, CD272) expression on CD4(+); and CD8(+); T lymphocytes during chronic HIV-1 infection, and analyze the clinical significance for its expression and disease progression.

Methods: BTLA expression on T cells in peripheral blood from 34 patients with chronic HIV-1 infection and 15 healthy donors was measured using flow cytometry. The correlation between BTLA expression and CD4 T cell counts and virus load was also analyzed.

[Dynamic expression of PD-1 in HBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes correlates with memory T-cell development in acute hepatitis B patients].

Objectives: Programmed death-1 (PD-1) up-regulation impairs virus-specific CD8+ T-cell responses during chronic viral infection. Whether PD-1 expression influences the virus-specific CD8+ T cells in humans with acute viral infection remains largely undefined. This study aims to characterize the PD-1 expression during acute hepatitis B (AHB), and further addresses the association between the PD-1 dynamics and memory T-cell formation during acute HBV infection.

[Photoluminescence from Si and Er dual-implanted Si-rich thermal oxidation SiO2/Si thin films].

Si and Er ions were implanted into Si-rich thermal oxidation SiO2/Si thin film using metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion source implanter, which could produce ion beams with high-fluence and strong-flux. Rutheroford backscattering spectra show that Er concentration in as-implanted sample is attained to 10 at. % corresponding to the level of 10(21) atoms.